Who Are the Kurds?

Related: Kurds Carve Out a Home in Syria, Testing U.S. Ties With Turkey
The Kurds are one of the world’s largest ethnic groups without an independent state, numbering about 30 million people across Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. They speak various dialects of their own language, Kurdish, although governments have sometimes banned its usage. A majority are bilingual or multilingual, and are integrated into the countries where they reside. Most are Sunni Muslim. As Kurdish involvement in the fight against Islamic State deepens in Syria and Iraq, we explain who they are and what they want.

Published Aug. 31, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. ET

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) carry their weapons as they take positions in the northeastern city of Hasaka, Syria on Aug. 20. Photo: rodi said/Reuters